The present disclosure relates to a vibratory actuator including an actuator body generating stretching and bending vibrations.
In recent years, as the vibratory actuator of this type, there is a vibratory actuator disclosed in, e.g., Japanese Patent Publication No. H11-346486. The vibratory actuator includes an actuator body generating stretching and bending vibrations. Driver elements orbiting in response to the stretching and bending vibrations of the actuator body are attached to the actuator body. The vibratory actuator is arranged so that the driver elements contact a relatively-movable member. The stretching and bending vibrations are generated in the actuator body in such a state to provide the orbit motion of the driver elements, thereby relatively moving one of the relatively-movable member and the vibratory actuator with respect to the remaining one of the relatively-movable member and the vibratory actuator. In such a state, in order to increase friction force between the driver elements and the relatively-movable member, the actuator body is biased toward the relatively-movable member.
A support configuration of the actuator body will be described in more detail below. Protrusions extending in a thickness direction of the actuator body are provided in the actuator body. The protrusions are supported by supports. Specifically, a long hole extending in a biasing direction of the actuator body is formed in the support. The protrusion is fitted into the long hole of the support, and is slidable along an edge of the long hole. That is, the actuator body is supported by the supports so as to be slidable in the biasing direction.